Take a look inside Earthship, a sustainable and self-contained green building in Taos, New Mexico and check out exclusive behind the scenes photos of our latest collection, Out Of The Blue.

One of the biggest factors in planning a shoot is finding a location that complements the story and clothing. For the Out of the Blue homepage we knew New Mexico would be the perfect backdrop; from white sands, to endless shades of green fields, red earth and deep blue skies, this state has so much to offer us.

In more ways than we know, our lives are built on trash. If you stacked up all the world’s old junkyard tires, they would reach to the moon and back. So what can we do with them all? How about building houses.

Invented by architect Michael Reynolds of Taos, New Mexico, Earthships are custom-built, off-the-grid houses built from recycled materials, like recycled bottles (pictured), aluminum cans, used tires, pieces of cardboard – even old fridge doors. […]

We’re producing too much trash on a daily basis, and we don’t recycle enough. We’ve already passed that point where waste management has become a problem, and not only for the Thirld World anymore. One man had a vision more than two decades ago with a new way of building houses in a sustainable way, Michael Reynolds’ idea has never been as needed and Earthships are getting build in many parts of the world. […]

It took five weeks and one volunteer army to rise this radically sustainable Alberta dwelling.
By Duncan Kinney, 30 Jan 2015, TheTyee.ca

When you tell people you’re building an Earthship, there are two stock responses. First there are the believers. These are the people who’ve watched Garbage Warrior, twice. They want to talk design and permits and timelines. They’re into it. The other stock response is an incredulous repeating of the word back to you with a question mark attached. Earthship? […]

Earthship Academy instructor Tom Duke walks you through the Academy classroom at the Greater World Earthship Community and shows you where students have their lecture classes and do their hands-on systems labs. At the end there is a brief peek at the inside of the EVE (Earthship Village Ecologies) project.

There will be four showings of Earthship documentaries in Christchurch, New Zealand in February and March to give residents and visitors an idea of Michael Reynolds’ Earthship work and to introduce Earthship Biotecture to the public.
Showings of Garbage Warrior – the first doccumentry from Earthship Biotecture – http://www.garbagewarrior.com/ – The epic story of radical Earthship eco architect Michael Reynolds, and his fight to build off-the-grid self-sufficient communities.
‘Renegade architect Michael Reynolds and his green disciples have devoted their time to advancing the art of “Earthship Biotecture” – passive, solar, off-the-grid, sustainable housing. Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills. Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.’
Earthships: New Solutions – http://newsolutionsmovie.com is another doccumentry about Earthship Biotecure (after Garbage Warrior) and follows a start to finish build on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.
‘An introductory guide to building alternative sustainable housing, as well as describing with the use of animation, how these buildings offer solutions to today’s most important issues like: energy,water,food, shelter, sewage and recycling.’
trailer – (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEg74ZMP4tM)

As discussed in our last greenhouse management article (A New Age of Greenhouse Management: The onset of Earthship greenhouses and their necessity as a household utility), it was explained that the greenhouses in Earthships require a different level of participation than that of traditional greenhouse management. The planters function to provide the Earthship’s inhabitants with food but also cleans the water that cycles through. The planters serve as the household’s utilities. While there is a heightened level of involvement within the greenhouse, there are still challenges. Host insects are an obstacle that we have experienced in our Earthship’s greenhouses. The plants in the greenhouse are subject to various different host insects that can cause damage or kill plants if the state is serious enough.

“Earthship Biotecture”: Renegade New Mexico Architect’s Radical Approach to Sustainable Living
New Mexico residents are trying to a break free from Los Alamos’ nuclear legacy by creating more environmentally sound ways of living. At the forefront of this struggle is renegade architect Michael Reynolds, creator of radically sustainable living options through a process called “Earthship […]

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About Earthship Biotecture

Earthship Biotecture is based in Taos, New Mexico, and has been providing humans with the tools necessary to sustain themselves and the planet for over 45 years. By using carbon-zero technology in building plans and integrating all systems with food production, our designs are the first truly sustainable, independent models on the market today. We able to construct comfortable units in any climate made primarily out of natural and recycled materials.

Earthship construction drawings are designed to meet standard building code requirements so you can get a permit no matter where you are. Earthship Biotecture is beyond LEED Architecture. Earthships are green buildings that meet standard building codes. EarthshipBiotecture is based on the work of principal architect, Michael Reynolds. (see: media resume)